Karolinska University Hospital adopts new RDE strategy
KI has been actively involved at different levels in drawing up a new strategy for research, development and education (RDE) at Karolinska University Hospital that aims to enhance the hospital’s academic environment, improve access to health data, double external research funding and promote early career development in research.
Sweden is uniquely placed to be world-leading in AI-enhanced healthcare thanks to the country’s extensive national health and population databases, detailed quality registers and accessible banks of images and biological samples. However, making data accessible is not without its challenges.
“What we’re now doing is accelerating out collaboration so that we can promptly and effectively tap the vast potential inherent to the new techniques while tackling the challenges facing us,” says Professor of Immunology Petter Höglund, KI chair of Karolinska University Hospital’s RDE committee. “By working together like this, we can ensure that research and education further the development of healthcare in general and highly specialised healthcare in particular.”
A regional perspective and international competitiveness
Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet’s RDE activities cover all Region Stockholm’s residents and patients. Strong regional collaboration and partnerships with the private sector are essential if Sweden is to reinforce its international position in medical research and development.
In adopting this strategy, Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet hope to not only improve their own conditions but also contribute to the development of the entire region.
“We’re strengthening the academic culture at the hospital by giving researchers and healthcare personnel greater opportunities to conduct research,” says Olof Akre, RDE director at Karolinska University Hospital and professor of oncological surgery at Karolinska Institutet. “In opening up health data, creating more career paths for junior researchers and investing in more clinical studies, we’re building an environment in which we expedite the conversion of new knowledge into better diagnostic tools and treatments for our patients.”
The new strategy, which with its new objectives is designed to strengthen the hospital’s role as a global leader in medical innovation alongside KI, will proceed from now until 2027.
Seven strategic focus areas
The strategy covers seven key areas in which the hospital has set objectives for the coming decade, with concrete plans for the next three years:
- Accessible health data
– To create a central function for healthcare data sources and a common platform for data release.
– To improve its partnerships with Region Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet in order to make the release of data more efficient. - ·Greater external research funding
– To double external research grants in the next 10 years.
– To strengthen relations with private donors and the private sector. - Promoting early research and sustainable career development
– To reduce the average age of new PhD graduates among clinically active doctors.
– To boost the recruitment of researchers from first-cycle education and the healthcare professions. - A stronger education culture
– To make the educational mission more attractive through a clearer merit rating.
– To engage more experienced experts in teaching and supervision. - Development of infrastructure for clinical studies
– To establish more centres of excellence for supporting clinical studies.
– To simplify administrative processes and strengthen structures for clinical trials. - Implementation and development of AI
– To consolidate Karolinska University Hospital’s status as a world-leading actor in AI-enhanced healthcare.
– To establish a platform for AI collaborations among the healthcare, research and corporate sectors. - A stronger academic culture
– To improve the physical integration of healthcare, research and education.
– To create more multidisciplinary seminars and strengthen collaboration with preclinical researchers.